Candelaria F. Hernandez

Many things can be said about Candelaria F. Hernandez. Known to friends and acquaintances as a friendly, energetic, empathic and decisive woman, her compassionate nature would always shine through, revealing her charm, warmth and conscientious demeanor. She was warmhearted, gentle and organized in all the things she sought to accomplish. She generally had a focus on harmony and peace.

Her parents were Apolonio and Ana Fernandez. Candelaria was raised in San Antonio, Texas. She grew up with 8 siblings. She had an older brother, Apolonio, and three younger brothers, Manuel, Marcelino, and Santiago. She also had one older sister, Margarita, and three young sisters, Julia, Maria, and Anita. Candelaria was constantly involved in all sorts of activities with her family. Unable to complete elementary school, she was significant in helping her parents raising and taking care of her siblings. She was even-tempered, taking care not to get involved in too many family conflicts. This quality served her well, in perpetually bringing harmony, understanding and a sense of peace to the family. Candelaria carried these traits into her adult life and served as one of many reasons why family and friends found her pleasurable and delightful to be around. Candelaria was a person who genuinely understood and cared for others, making powerful connections with those she knew.

On September 1, 1953 Candelaria married Rafael Hernandez at the The Justice of Peace of San Antonio, Texas. Compassionate and devoted, Candelaria worked hard to make her new family happy. She was always generous with her time and this meant that Rafael came first in Candelaria’s book. She was always caring and made certain that she considered Rafael’s feelings. By trusting her emotions, Candelaria did her best to make sure that both the marriage and home life ran smoothly. This is just one more example of how Candelaria was truly a person of empathy.

Candelaria’s quality of being a caring and tolerant person who was very accepting of others translated to being a good mother to her children. Candelaria and Rafael were blessed with seven children: one son, Jesse Albert, and six daughters, Maria, Alicia, Rosa, Patricia, Irene, and Sylvia. Candelaria was also blessed with fifteen grandchildren, Victor, Ernie, John Jr., Frank Jr., Jason, Jesse Jr., Christopher, Roy Jr., Jacob Jr., Melissa, Erica, Jubilee, Jessica, Dominique, and Nicole. She also had sixteen great-grandchildren, Alyssia, Keano, Serena, Samantha, Jalene, Iana, Brianna, John, John Manuel Jr., Ariah, Love, Carlos, Isaiah, Jesse J. III, Michaelangelo, and Promise. Candelaria related well to children of all ages and was able to connect to them on their level. The children always loved her and she was completely and totally devoted to them. Candelaria worked for the cannery for sometimes before retiring to become a full time caretaker of her beloved husband and family. Candelaria took great pleasure in her various hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were sewing, baking, cooking, gambling, crocheting, and traveling. Favorite vacations included going back to San Antonio to visit her family and friends. She also enjoyed dancing, listening to music, and watching Western movies. Candelaria was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. One of Candelaria's favorite was birds, especially love birds and cocktails. She also found comfort in reading the Bible. It was something that always lifted her spirit and brought her closed to God.

Candelaria derived much satisfaction from sports. Because she was so instinctive and could always grasp the big picture, Candelaria delighted in the strategy and inner workings of a competition. Candelaria was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching her favorite teams' events whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list were baseball and football. Giants and 49ers were the teams that she was very proud of. Politically, Candelaria was very proud of being an American. She brought out the American Flag in any occasions she could.

Candelaria passed away on November 25, 2012 at Valley Medical Center in San Jose, California. Candelaria fought a brave battle against chronic lung disease. She is survived by her seven children, fifteen grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren, siblings, and many more. Services were held at Chapel of Roses, Oak Hill Funeral Home in San Jose, California. Candelaria was laid to rest in Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose, California.

Throughout her life, Candelaria was a gregarious and enthusiastic woman. She was generous in sharing her personal attributes, giving and helping those she knew and loved. She was imaginative, original, tender hearted and easy to get along with. Candelaria leaves behind her a legacy of life-long friendships and cherished memories. Everyone whose lives she touched will dearly remember Candelaria F. Hernandez.